Ice Age : Teeth Tales
by Cosmic Creator
Summary: As they set foot on the island, our little troupe is now dealing with a new member in their midst . Shira does her best to create a relationship with every member of the group , and of course with Diego. But soon their quiet little life will be bothered by events that will suddenly bring them to worry and also disrupt Shira's deepest dreams. The alternative 5th sequel to C.Drift !
1. Chapter 1 : Find the Horizon

**Chapter 1 : Find the Horizon**

 **Hey there ! Guess I'll try and make an impression on this website to propose my version of the Final installment of Ice Age ! I started to think about this project back in beginning of 2013 in January. I started to upload a Fanfiction centered on Buck on a French forum dedicated to the franchise (** **.fr/t489-buck-le-retour** **) - check it out if you know and speak french well ! - where it lasted 9 chapters. Guess what ? I turned down that writing process to focuse on this one. I discovered this site thanks to a certain** Stubborn Saber **(Big shout out to this guy !) and was startled at how much his vision of the sequel was very similar to mine. - Now discarding that little intro, I would like to precise that this story has been written according to clues and elements in _Continental Drift_ to put forth good continuity in the franchise. My dream is to transform this Fanfiction in a book under Blue Sky's supervision. My biggest yet too is to have the opportunity in directing an Ice Age movie (It would be kind of an alternative fourth sequel) based on this work that i will show before you. To be quite honest I'm not that impressed for the moment with the look of _Collision Course,_ but nevertheless, hope you enjoy this First chapter ! Big things coming ! P-S : Sorry if my English is Bad : although I'm bilingual, I always tend to complicate myself as a French and English speaking guy !**

A white specter pierced through the darkness then out of sight. Swift shadows did likewise and pursued the target. 2 pairs of pupils each followed every trace that could lead to her.

\- We know these grounds better than you do, give up!

Grace shuddered just by that warning; feelings of guilt and fear ran through her body at lightning speed. But strangely in a short laps of time, that thought felt like a very old memory, and soon adrenaline took the front seat ; it was a speed never witnessed before, and boy did it make it difficult for the others to catch on.

[Under her breath/Panting] - I'd reconsider what I just said if I were you, freaks

Was she confident ? Frustrated ? It was hard to tell …

"Begin the games"

That last phrase kicked in like an echo in Grace's mind. She scurried through vines and hid in a dead tree trunk, allowing her body to cover itself in mud simultaneously.

She could hear the 2 unknown assailants closing in terrifyingly fast. A fair deadweight was one of them, as he pounced heavily by having the trunk as a stepping stone. Unaware was he ? Grace breathed heavily but tried to hold in as much noise as she could.

'Be darn sure I'll find you before dawn, young lady !' he warned in a deep gruff voice

The saber paused, looked around in the silent evening, then plodded until meeting the darkness once again.

Grace's breath was the only thing she could hear in her surroundings and that made her worry ; night stroke every living thing to sleep, but like the stars glittering among the moon, hungry eyes were on the loose.

This lonely dilemma struck the ice coated saber as she realized she had no one to count upon but herself. She barely could think straight.

Shortly after that she regained strength : a thump made her reconsider her surroundings. She caught a quick glimpse outside ; a rabbit – that's all she could witness.

Strange, but still she felt unsafe : the brute might have lost her, or he could be far enough from his target that the latter wouldn't burn any chances as to leave the area as quickly as it could.

She crept out of the trunk while muting her steps, but couldn't contain the omnipresence of adrenaline in her body that was dangerously accelerating her pace. It felt wrong, so wrong.

A terrifying shriek levelled the forest as soon as she got her skull slammed violently against the ground.

The claws gently retreated from the damage they had created ; now 2 bloody gaps stood out from the tigresses' right ear. A grin preceded another voice

\- Angel down

The anonymous saber, clothed in mud, surprisingly felt repulsed as he retracted his shiny claws – untouched by the filth but bathing in Grace's fresh blood.

'Feeling dizzy ?' he amusingly sighed

The pinned saber didn't want in any circumstances to witness anymore harassment of this sort. She wanted to hold the last remaining drops of dignity she possessed, but those were wasted in tears – the pain in her ear was excruciating.

Not anymore could she show bravery to his opponent. But she wanted to do something.

ANYTHING imaginable …

'Funny thing that we had the same strategy in mind, miss !' he snickered in an inappropriate smile.

His paw still weighed on Grace's throat, he sighed with effort

\- Well, time to call the big ... AAHRR !

One move, one impact, one consequence.

The young saber didn't think twice as soon as the enemy's hand drifted from her vital spot. She made the best out of her remaining energy to dash once again into oblivion.

'Little pest !' was the last thing she heard him scream.

The muscle responded to the complaint.

He examined swiftly the difference in his colleague before heading in the direction of his partner's nod . The latter felt weak

\- You're a dead loss, I'm finishing the job

The other responded with a confused nod ; his claw still latching on his mauled neck and chest.

\- Go for it, tough guy ! She's twice as fast as my feet !

\- No way, smart guy ….

He went for a sprint that felt impactful and once again disappeared.

Grace was missing something : she didn't have a destination at all. A breeze of salty air filled her lungs as she headed North (consider that accurate by all means). How long will she need to run ?

That question felt abruptly easy to answer : the next thing she knew, was that her legs were running on an empty road and her heart beat was overwhelming anything else her body could express.

The impact felt nothing like butter for sure : she never experienced a collision with a concrete of that sort before, not discarding the wet feeling that was new to her.

She floated semi-consciously among heaps of rock spikes – not that she knew that herself. She braced herself to the first shell filled rock she could sense, and held onto it until her mind faded in a slumber.

Back uphill, the muscle stopped at the tip of the cliff. He gazed at the emptiness below and grumbled silently.

His colleague joined the deserted scene with a deep sigh – exhaling loudly and close to loosing balance.

\- Lost her ?

He didn't respond. They stared at each other for a moment, then the slim one concluded by a hasty nod

\- Great great …. Then you know what's next …

\- Nothing ! She's gone, cooked !

That latter barely surprised him

\- Whoa easy …. You can tell that to him, not me.

Silence kicked in.

'…Any paw prints, blood stains we can trace ?' he added, while examining the ground.

'For WHAT use ?' he angrily replied

It didn't take him that much time to acknowledge the location.

\- Right ….

The big one began to stroll back. The other wondered close to the cliff. He remained still, then raised its head, flicked his ear, then inquired.

\- Hear what I hear ?

\- Dolphins, ain't a great fuss

He turned to his partner, surprised :

\- Not a bad guess there ….

\- Kid, we're on tropical land.

'So what ?' he added with a questioning face ; it felt slightly sarcastic and deadpan

\- So : these creatures roam these areas. You won't find any penguins here for sure

'Guess you're right' he sighed

\- Can you please do me a favor on the way back ?

\- What's that ?

\- Hold your breath until we're home ?

He chuckled for a short while, then responded

\- Sure, drag me lifeless and wake me up when we're there.

Dawn was on its way and the wave's became more clear as the wind woke up. Dolphins were jumping in and out of the water with terrific grace, whistling and clicking happily as they did so. But a more grounded whistle marked its presence among the sea mammals.

They responded in the same fashion and began to follow their target.

Grace was close to drowning before four dolphins carried her effortlessly above the surface.

Wondering what on earth was going on, she raised her eyelids and tried to catch as many elements her vision could carry. But victim of exhaustion, everything around her cut to black.

The last thing she saw was an Iceberg.

\- _She'z_ in a very bad condition, _capitaine_ …

The blue footed booby was perched on the shoulder of a shadowy figure, fiddling with his beard as he ordered :

\- Lower the ice hook …

The order echoed among the pirate crew ; a boar hit the lever and a long-legged creature proceeded in balancing the hook.

'Caught it, Razzy !' shouted a badger, safely standing on top of the crow's nest. the tall creature acknowledged it and turned to a sea elephant :

\- Get fit, Flynn, and pulla'r out of the water, will ya ?

\- Ay, got it guys !

Flynn proceeded in pulling the rope to raise the hook. The bird contemplated the catch as it was near the deck of the ship and turned to his master

 _-_ A saber _, monsieur_ Gutt ?

\- Black and white coat … Peculiar isn't it Silas ?

' _Maybe itz the coz of thiz'_ as he pointed to the damaged ear

\- We all went through this, so she's fit for the crew …

\- _Orderz Capitaine ?_

The Gigantopithecus turned to him

\- Cover her ; put her in the bottom deck close to my bounty ….

\- _She'll need to eat_ ?

\- She'll need to get used to the fruits. We can't set ashore every time : it can be very dangerous for everyone on this ship.

\- _I understand_ ….

They fell silent, then Gutt announced :

\- We'll head North afterwards

Silas nodded. It took him some time to notice that the crew was surrounding them. He barked

\- You heard the _orderz_ ?

All – AY !

 **End of 1** **st** **chapter**

 **Hoped you liked it ! Second chapter coming soon !**


	2. Chapter 2 : Find your way

**Chapter 2 :** Find your way :

 **Welcome to my second chapter ! Little warning : it's longer than my first Chapter. Have a great read !**

The ice freezing her face woke her up straight. But it wasn't the only thing that had bothered her conscious …

The saber remembered, and then searched with effort for her ear ; It still ached, but Grace sensed something else – she couldn't believe it.

With a second motion of her paw, she produced a glittery sound summed to a raindrop.

It then occurred to her that she wasn't floating anymore on salty liquid, but lying on a frosted surface.

Grace looked around stiffly, now that she was fully awaked : nothing but fruits and sharp weapons at one side, but on the other hand : feather filled coats, shiny accessories and a cotton-like sheet resting on herself. She didn't forget the imposing throne that was presented to her left, and portholes that had the shape of funnels on the sides of the iceberg.

Sound of footsteps resembling a synchro-hop caught her attention. Her eyes expressed deep fear as she turned around to meet the foe.

It panicked

\- Woah ! Get those claw's off the ship ! You'll end up sinking it !

What was introduced to her was a purple-soaked kangaroo, towering to a height close to 7 feet. Her pouch contained multitudes of shiny objects. They looked pretty precious.

"A ship ?" she inquired "what on earth's that ?"

Grace kept a rather perplex expression, and her mouth expressed the same. She was waiting for an answer to everything that was happening right now.

'Just think simple, saber : it's a dumb'ol ice bloke following our orders' the kangaroo explained in a calm tone

'That doesn't sound simple at all' she muttered, exhausted

The stranger scratched its head

\- Wella then, I'll make it simpler : I'm Raz

'Better' she smiled with comforted eyes

Raz stretched her hand to Grace ; it felt awkward, as she quickly took note that she was addressing herself to a quadruped. The kangaroo erased her action and felt embarrassed

'Forget what I just did' she hesitated, then continued 'they're rarely members walking on their 4 feet here ….'

\- You're …. Part of a pack ?

'PIRATE crew ….' She clarified ; Grace frowned once again at that comment

\- Just'uh … fancy word to describe our faction ….

The same expression was plastered on her face when the word "faction" came in.

\- I'ma … very complicated kind, I know …

The saber nodded in an understanding way ; she then got reminded of something brutal, then it got blurry, and what resulted in that was a depressing soul looking for comfort in the ground.

Raz tried to break the silence by clapping her hands together ; searching for a subject to converse on.

'I'm sure you wanna know what these mean' she informed as she pointed to her healing ear

Grace nodded

\- It's a very fragile material and also a very precious one too – Not because of the way it looks ….

\- How does it look … Raz ?

\- Same color'es your eyes

'Teal I guess then' she concluded

\- No, what I mean is that these thingies shows that you're now part of the crew …. the family if ya prefer

'I don't belong anywhere' she said clumsily

\- Don't ya say that !

Grace's comment didn't precede another ; she felt deeply uncomfortable

\- Ya know already that it has nothing to do with you being a girl !

\- What do you mean ?

Raz bent over so that Grace could hear clearly

\- Rumor has it that Gutt – our'a captain – overheard from other crews that carrying girls around a ship is'a sin ; well look how safe that'a one is ! At least 5 years of service and ain't a scratch ! Gutt's cool with that and ship's clean !

'Well, seconds ago I was about to sink it, so you got a point there' she replied sarcastically. It felt warm and friendly

'Was kidding' Raz said between two chuckles

\- Yeh got some sharp humor comin' aboard ! Ever delivered an attitude like that before ?

'I don't know, it just came out as that' she muttered, still looking down to the ground

\- Well any way's …. What happened before ya hit da water ?

Grace fell silent, she looked around for reflexion, then slowly turned her focus to the porthole – eyes meeting the watery elements.

\- It's difficult ….

\- Take yer time, saber

\- We were …. attacked – our pack ….

Her voice was breaking

\- … Got scattered by a rival clan

Raz was listening closely

\- We were … chased until we met our end …

She swallowed deeply, then resumed with effort

\- Two sabers – lost them … by the cliff …

\- Who were they ?

Grace shook her head : in her mind, the saber was lost in a fog ; she felt like melting and her eyes were getting watery.

'Don't know, I just …. Don't know' she baffled

\- I understand

'I fell ... lost my memory !' she added quickly, reaching her eyes to Raz's

'Pull yerself together, saber' she reassured her while patting her 'It's over'

By those last words, it felt like she escaped an unstable world and reentered another : reality.

The tiger gave a light jerk

\- There you go ….

Raz nodded, then tried to pick up the pieces of her testimony, and finally came to a conclusion :

\- Ya know … yer hardly the only one - on board this ship - to be uncomfortable with yer past.

The saber lifted its head

\- We ALL ended up here because of some stupid reason, but that's life I guess …

She counted her fingers

\- Gutt's the first one – no surprise there – Gupta the badger came then ; he was offered a crossbones painted on his back ; Flynn - the big bowl of sac – and Silas – the bird – came as one ; They both shared head bands and stayed together ever since ; Finally we caught Boris – the boar – wondering in the ocean ….

\- When did you join ?

\- Was third …

She resumed

\- See a little similarity in all this ?

Grace shook her head

\- We were all given a gift that would stay with us for eternity – I know, it's a BIG word but still …

\- What for ?

She leaned over

\- I'm never allowed to speak of it …

\- What ?

\- … My past, ever again, neither the rest of the crew, or it's doom for the one that does ; we live by this primal rule.

'These …' she pointed at her accessories in her pouch, then to Grace's earrings 'are reminders of that ; Gutt says it keeps us safe too'

\- What happens to the one …

'Dunno' she snapped by shooking her head 'But I think It's got something to do with a fruit aand …. Never mind – it's complicated'

Grace looked slightly disappointed

\- Course you wouldn't do it, would you ?

She paused for a reflexion, then shook herself.

Raz, exhausted from standing up, let herself fall down and sighed in relief as she touched the ground.

\- Well any way's, let that gift of mine be a reminder to you to never – ever – recall up your past again : it will only hurt more yer future the more you'll think about it, trust me.

She stopped, as a badger came down the frozen stairs and noticed the two of them. He grinned lightly then went back up to the main deck.

\- Don't ya pay attention to him. Gupta's just doing his job …

\- Eavesdropping ?

\- A VERY specific job that is : only folks with a good eye gets the post, and he nails it

\- Got it …

She resumed once again

\- Where was I ? Oh yeah : these fetishes – ignore that – are here to cover prior scars of yer past as well …

Raz looked over to Grace, to check if she was listening

\- As well … as to help you redefine your identity completely – suit your new life by adopting new features ! It's the best way I kid you not …

'This is what we offer on this ship' a deep and slightly relaxed voice concluded

The girls turned, surprised, to meet the stranger. He had behind him every member of the Pirate crew. They looked excited

\- Bury deep what once brought you down, and look up to what will help you rise.

' _That's our quest_ ' precised Silas, as he felt it was important to say so.

The way Gutt said that last quote surprisingly didn't strike a shock on the members' faces, as if they were following a daily routine.

'So I heard the news' he smiled warmly

He has learned to ask the saber if she was alright. Grace replied that she was fine now.

\- Captain !

\- Thank you Raz …

He continued

\- As I was saying : what I am proposing to you, saber, is an opportunity …

\- Sir ?

\- Call me Gutt, miss.

'Following my motto' he explained ': it's a long road for all of us, so it is to be taken step by step in order to achieve what you cherish – and that's freedom to do what amuses you the most ; It makes you alive more than everything'

\- …. Treasures, adventures, wave racing, you'll be in for a treat !

'Nip it Flynn !' snapped Gupta, nudging the sea elephant's belly as he did so

\- So : ready to start from the bottom ?

'Yes' the saber replied, more confident than ever before

\- Will you join our crew, saber ?

She smiled delightfully :

\- It should be fun.

What followed was unexpected : Flynn was starting to feel really excited as he stretched his arms in the air. Gutt predicted it and stepped instinctively on Flynn's fin. He added casually :

\- Welcome then ! Got a code name in mind, Flynn ?

The saber was confused by that announcement, but Silas read that and whistled sharply to catch her attention.

' _Compulsory_ ' he whispered in a pure French accent while raising his eyebrows

\- What about "Shira", Cap ?

Gutt stared at Flynn, then turned like a judge to deliberate

\- Going … and gone

Shira repeated that new name in her head, than became quickly accustomed to it. She was smiling – it all felt like a perfect dream

Gutt presented to her an awkwardly shaped fruit that was yellow in appearance.

\- It's a ritual we do to newcomers : bite it, and your officially part of the crew.

The tigress examined the fruit

'You're sure it won't soften my teeth ?' she inquired sarcastically

The crew laughed

' _Au contraire_ ' replied Silas 'It will only make them healthier'

'There she goes ...' smiled Gupta

The slice of the fruit was sitting still in Gutt's hairy hands, but instead of being bitten lightly, it was swallowed whole, and her two main saber teeth did the rest of the job ; Hunger urged her to do so.

\- Ohhh ! Look guys ! alarmed Flynn excitedly - but the crew hushed him

That was the first time she ever ate a lemon in her life, and Shira will be dearly reminded to never do it again : her expression said it all.

There were laughs, and cheers too. True compassion was felt by Shira when all of then clapped to congratulate her "promotion". She let out tears of joy, then shortly shook them off, embarrassed.

'Welcome home, Shira' announced Gutt enthusiastically

It was a new beginning for the young saber ….

"Shine shine, little wonder"

 **I know what you're thinking : that was some big exposition ! Well hold on to your seats : it is there to prepare the rest ! ;)**

 **See you soon !**


	3. Chapter 3 : Look where we are now

**Chapter III : Look where we are now**

 **Welcome back folks ! It's been a long time since the last chapter. I know you've been expecting a new one to come in no time, so I hope it's lenght will help you forget the long wait ! ;)**

 **Personally, I hated the fact that Diego & Shira didn't get a chance to shine alot in the last sequel. I still don't see why we should again waste our time on Manny - a character with an already great Arc - and leave our favourite Saber in the dark. Hope I've done a good impression with that chapter, especially with the pair's dialogue. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one !**

 **Anyway : Enjoy !**

 **Present**

\- Soooo …. This is it ?

\- Yep

It took them sometime to find the area, but as they finally identified the target, they knew they were there. Diego looked awkwardly concentrated while Shira was displaying a defined frowning expression : it literally meant "what are we doing with this fellow ?" The tigress turned her head with the same plastered expression and silently opened her mouth

"You could have picked up a better target, you know …" she sighted with a provoking smile

His mate expected that thing to be said, hence his reaction, calm and calculated

\- Rabbits are tricky. Don't underestimate them …

\- I think the one you're underestimating here, is me, 'Mittens'

Diego turned to her, bothered by that name like he always is.

"We're just through our 2nd hunting session" He resumed while trying to keep a straight face "We've only gone past the 'review' of some parts of the island ; this is a step by step lesson we're doing"

His partner shook herself : Shira felt amusing pity for the poor prey

"This is too much Diego, I feel bad for that little fellow" she smiled warmly while staring at the oblivious rabbit

"Remember" he raised the tone for that very word "I'm going first"

The white saber poked Diego amusingly but with small tact

"You never said that !" she whispered loudly, wondering wildly why is he not believing in her capacities. That curiousness was illustrated by a perplex smile. The frown was still on.

Diego sighted lightly and faced her again

\- Want me to join you then ?

"We can make this a race if you have your doubts" she proposed after a quick eye roll

His mate considered her for a second, then sighted

\- Ok then : on the count of ….

\- I'm off.

This was unexpected. She shared that last quote in a flash second before storming towards the target. Seconds after, the rabbit was gone, Shira was gone, and Diego was still trying to get hold of what was happening.

\- What the … HEY !

His mind reactivated, and he began running too

"Doggone it !" he panted "Don't spoil all the fun !"

* * *

The sun was about to set for dusk. After quenching their first at the nearest river, the two sabers were on their way back to the herd's cave, borrowing the shortcut by the beach to coolly digest their meal.

"You were …. Impressive back there Kitty" he mumbled, embarrassed, while trying to share eye contact with the beautiful tigress

Shira revealed a slight grin as she turned to face him

"Never getting tired of that name, are you ?" she gently pointed out

He followed with the same attitude

\- I was about to ask you the same about that wonderful "M" word you gifted me

She chuckled, looking down at the watery sediments as if she was too shy to share her enthusiasm with her new partner.

"That's true" a nod followed "than I guess we're even on one thing for once"

Their difference in distance from the water was interesting to behold : Shira was marching close to the tide, doing back & forth movements diagonally ; Diego was at her side, only trying to avoid any contact with upcoming waves despite how far he was.

She quickly turned to her mate

\- You know : I never told you that …. I used to train myself on these very grounds

"No way !" he frowned at her "that should probably explain why you could dodge that crazy plant and I didn't …"

\- Aw common, it barely injured your leg

Diego gave a light jerk out of his damaged member as he walked, sign that the pain came back each time he took a new step. The white saber nodded understandably in a way to show that she recognized the labor.

\- Okay, maybe it's worse than I thought ….

"Oh no worries anyway" he informed "… Sid will work out a relief to erase this"

Shira whispered to him in the ear in a surprised tone

\- I never knew that he was good at something !

Diego burst out laughing

\- I was surprised too, that's for sure !

The dialogue that followed sounded like a private conversation

\- Between us : maybe he could be able to domesticate that wild flowerpot for us.

Chuckles were shared

"… Make it his pet for all we know !" he joked "I could bet on that to happen"

The male saber smiled, looking at the beautiful sunset ahead of them ; it was slowly reaching for the bottom of the sea.

\- So that was … sort of … your personal playground ?

\- Yep : anytime Gutt wanted to board on the cove, he would let me run anywhere I wanted.

Diego dropped slightly his head to think a minute

\- Anywhere … that means that you got to run near the snow mountain peaks ?

She turned to him, with an obvious tone

\- Too chilly ; No way I would that !

He paused to breakdown what she just said. He resumed walking

\- So you're telling me : you never – ever in your life – encountered a period of Ice Age before ?

"No" It felt like a mix of innocence and arrogance in that little voice.

He stared at her with a questioning face

\- In what kind of place were you born ?

Tough stuff to answer …

"I huh …" she looked all around her then back to Diego "Remember being in a … warm place. Humid but warm …"

\- Tropical vibe then ?

"Yeah …." She sounded exhausted after that answer ; Her voice was as dry as if she had just finished an everlasting speech.

Diego turned his green eyes towards the white peaks in the horizon.

"Know what ?" he announced "Maybe we can keep that mountain path as a final test then. Say …" Diego faced her with a smile "…. Since you're not used to cold environments …"

\- Well : we'll be quick getting through your "tests" if all we have to do is MOW the whole island

Shira's partner responded to that sarcastic but harmless comment with a smile

\- Not only "mowing" ….

He was searching for the thing he wanted to say

\- Reckon …. You know some hunting tricks ?

\- I do !

\- Which ones ?

"Well … not exactly KNOWN tricks : I improvise a lot in my chases ; not really pretty to behold" she could hear herself laugh in her own mind after that.

\- You're good with your speed : that's already something I witnessed …

Shira considered Diego with a questioning frown, not that the smile wasn't there too.

\- You DON'T like sharp turns : I noticed that.

"You understand me, all right" he joked, chuckles were shared "Gee, now that I think of it : I'm far from knowing every trick" The smile was there, but it was nervous

Shira closed in

\- Guess we can help each other out from time to time then. I got my weaknesses, you got yours.

\- Yeah.

He felt that he should continue the conversation

\- Anyway ... I never witnessed before that claw movement you do on the back of the neck … did you learn it ?

"I don't remember" she frowned "I think it's ... instinct"

\- Odd … I rarely see a saber do that …

A light spasm interrupted Shira's walk

Now he was aiming for another angle of the conversation

\- You know …. Sorry if this feels random but : I never heard your story before cruising on an iceberg

Tension filled her mouth ; The white coated wonder needed to cough it all out to avoid looking nervous.

\- To tell you the truth : I can barely remember the slightest image of those early years

\- That's weird …

\- The moment I joined the crew, everything vanished behind me

Her legs were stepping even deeper in the tide. Diego took on a questionable tone

"I heard you" those three words took forever to come out "… not long ago …. Telling me that you remember … being in some warm place" he carefully ended this one

The answer didn't sound pretty at all despite how subtle Diego wanted his question to be.

"I don't know !" her voice rose a tone "It may have come from a cave, a place far away for all I know … I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE !"

The male saber quickly regretted his inquiry.

Oddly enough, he wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable :

\- S … Sorry … I didn't mean to ….

"No" he interrupted "Its me. I should have never gone that way …"

He turned to her with a comforting smile. It felt slightly weak.

\- Why should we linger on the past anyway ? I mean, look where we are now !

For some odd reason, that made Shira chuckle.

"Diego …" she uttered slowly "If I had to tell you sincerely what changed - for me - on this boat …"

Diego was waiting patiently for the answer

\- … Everything

He resumed walking, face against the dusky horizon.

\- We were separate from this land, and with time it progressively became our enemy ... On the other side we were now friends with the sea – not that I love swimming in it – just … that feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world, opening our fun side to literally everything we could come across …

Her mate nodded comprehensively. The frost coated saber tiger was not at one point bothered by the rising tide.

"10 years at least …" she precised with eyes raised

Shira decelerated her pace. He followed that.

"Now that I think of it" Diego shared a look at that moment as she continued : "I spent most of my early years on a floating ice block … Can you believe that ?"

The orange saber hummed in agreement

\- Barely did we meet "stranded" creatures, until that huge storm we had during the "Great Drift" …

"We were found" completed her mate

\- Yep …

She paused there ; Shira looked like she was searching for a thing in her head

\- Shira ?

Her head dropped to face the sediments ; She shook herself in denial with her own mind then looked back to Diego

\- Nah just a silly thought …

The female saber resumed : she was now onto the day where she met the trio on the ice raft :

\- … Just to tell you : it's been more than 10 years that I last met someone of my kind …

"It must have been quite a shock" the latter delivered was intentionally humorous

"Oh don't make it sound THAT dramatic, _Mr. Mittens_ " THAT was a friendly warning

Diego followed that little game while sinking a little deeper …

"I got the threat" he joked with a hasty nod "I got the threat …"

After a long laugh, she resumed :

\- Ok … lets be serious now …

She intended to face him before continuing

\- The first time I got a glance of y …

"Allow me to start with that" that felt ambitious just by the way he said it … that very line hinted for something else …. What is it ?

After a short sight, she responded with a smile

\- You're honored to start

\- Well, ignoring the very start of the sentence ...

\- 'The very first time you got a glance of me' ...

They looked at each other. She predicted the beginning. It slowly came out of her mouth like she was close to deliberating. A brief shudder was a sign that she knew what was coming.

\- I could think of dozens of beautiful things at once in my head.

The silence exchanged between the two felt as if an earthquake was bothering their conversation.

To Diego's surprise, Shira's reply was on the edge of oblivion. It still was married to a lovely smile of hers.

\- Diego … we promised ourselves to be serious by now on.

"But …" His voice was drying up as he spoke "I AM serious right now, Kitty !"

She tilted her head in interrogation

"That sounded prepared" Diego blushed with embarrass in a corner. "Didn't it ?"

'You need to save yourself, or you'll end up screwed !' that was the legit translation that came out of Diego's expression

\- Really, it came out as that. No prep' …

\- You really mean it ? 100 % sincerity ?

\- I'm more than THAT sincere ! Folks would be crazy to say the contrary about you !

Diego felt exhausted after insisting on his compliment, but it was well worth it : long has he seen a smile warmer than the one displayed on Shira's face. It felt as if he was melting inside by that gift.

\- Thank you Diego, from the bottom of my heart, it means A LOT to me, you can't imagine.

He couldn't help it : an embarrassing smile was plastered on his face. Shira couldn't help it too : she was trying to hide her laugh from what was displayed In front of her.

"I'm going to remember that face for the rest of my life" she joked with a shake of her head

"I'm honored" He mumbled with a smile. Shira chuckled at that

However, she could sense the little distress in his mate and decided to give a twist to the conversation : the sight of Diego cornering the water from the tide gave her an Idea.

"You've seen me swim …. Did I ever recall seeing YOU swim ?" the delivery was added to a challenging grin.

Diego looked at her. He knew what she meant and that made him do the same grin in return.

"Don't you dare do what I think you're gonna do to me …" friendly warning, Shira, friendly warning …

\- ... Where's the fun in that ?

She missed. The pin was avoided and her face was brushed by salty elements. Diego grinned, and with a small gesture of his paw, mid-air raised, he continued :

"That should be one of the things we could work on, Kitty" with that expression of his, he was borderline daring her to react.

"Hey Mittens : how does THAT work for you ?" the surprise worked beautifully : Diego was sprayed with a fair amount of the tide.

He panicked for a short while, but then the rest of the shortcut's length was completed by a cat & mouse chase between the two.

The moon was settled, and the pair were back at the herd's cave. They were still getting used to it, but anyway it was just the place where everyone could reunite for a dinner together.

You could catch the eye of Manny, with his wife by his side, Ellie. The possums were missing ; it didn't seem to bug them anyway. Granny was making noises with her wood cane as she contemplated the blazing fire. But how come a fire is settled if the Fire lord is absent ? Peaches and Louis were absent too. Are they having some sort of party elsewhere ? We don't know.

As the pair took their respectful place in the circle, Diego could sense Granny's cane drawing his face close to hers.

\- Hey Lady ! You're back !

"… And I'm glad you're still here, old crook" he took some risk to deliver that.

To his relief, Granny understood his sense of humor, and laughed loudly.

\- I was worried you were eaten alive by my new pet.

"Oh don't you worry, Granny, he's got enough bulk to withstand your crazy plant" that was Manny, always trying to taunt the old sloth. Ellie nudged Manny to hush.

The orange saber raised his eyebrows, perplex. He exchanged a look with his partner ; she nodded and mouthed "maybe", only adding a surprised grin.

\- … Only enough bulk to make me forget your cholesterol range, "Poofy" lad.

Nasty remark from Granny. Manny resumed his dinner in silent embarrassment. The veteran resumed with Diego.

\- This _bulldozer_ tries to make me turn. I ain't falling for him.

He nodded to make the punchline, then opened up another subject.

\- Speaking of that. I'll need a few tweaks on …

It was unexpected. A large thump could be heard at the cave's entrance. After the dust settled, you could see a sloth, tangled in multiple vines, and the chief hyrax accompanied by some others. The whole herd was bracing itself for the explanation behind all of this. Granny strolled towards the body.

\- We have a magician as a special guest ? Nobody told m …. Wait a flipping second …

Granny was on to examine one element of the body, the nose, than instantly strolled back.

\- That's just Sidney, you fools !

Sid quickly went back to his feet and was twitching his hands in anxiety.

\- Hey guys ! You would never believe what I just did !

Manny was ready for a question in his own way

\- ... Does that involve the fact that you just - magically - fell from the sky ?

Ellie nudged him

\- …. I just came over with a RE-VO-LU-TIO-NA-RY idea !

Diego looked uneasy, so did others.

\- I would call that : a LIFT !

The crowd fell silent

"Don't only call me Fire Lord anymore ! Call me …. LIFT LORD !" he looked and sounded like a general as he said that. Some hyraxes were waving firefly-designed torches to Sid's face to intensify the announcement.

Manny raised an eyebrow

\- You mean ... you're able to fly to the moon ?

\- Manny, hush up !

Ellie Despite that, Sid apparently was now obsessed with what Manny just inquired.

\- Hey that's an interesting ide …..

"Okay Sid, I need your _expertise_ " Diego wanted his leg properly back on track, that was his main concern, and Sid's safety too.

Sid seemed glad to see his saber friend

\- Hey Tidgey !

Diego was urgently about to say "Excuse me ?" to shut Sid out. Surprinsingly enough, Shira replied the fastest. It gave him shivers, as she sounded questioning. He was far to forget also the quite amused tone that was added to her voice.

\- That's quite new ...

Sid, after a quick thinking, tried to catch up to save himself, at least that's what he thought ...

\- Oh wait, wrong name ... 'Mittens', isn't it ?

That didn't sound any better. Diego looked menacing but also quite lost. Did Shira & Sid just work out a nickname right behind his back ? Seems so : Shira was nodding in urgent disagreement while staring embarassly.

\- She's got pretty good taste in names, I'll give her that !

\- Either names, that's the last time you're saying it ...

Sid understood the threat, no doubt : Diego was menacingly exposing his claws to warn the sloth. However, Sid replied to him with a nervous laugh and some quick pats on the saber's neck

\- Heyyyy …. Good thing we're best pals, buddy ... Aren't we ?

Shira whispered something to Diego. It felt important ; seeing as Diego instantly gave up the threatening. He rubbed Sid's head for a short while then resumed talking.

"I'll come back to that ... Can you help with this ?" he showed his severed member to the sloth

\- Ohhh … that's a nasty looking thing you got there, buddy. I got my bag right here, wait a second.

\- Take your time, Sid

Sid fiddled in his bag of wonders, and started mixing herbs with others as he picked them out.

\- See, granny, you have different names of herbs …

\- Sidney …

Sid looked at his grandmother

\- I don't give a flying bee what they're names are. Call them what you want for all I care …

\- But Granny, if you see an herb …

\- ... I see a dandelion

\- But how could you tell …

Granny's stick was reaching Sid's neck

\- You've never been wiser than me. Were you ?

"Of course not" he chuckled with a nervous tone .

"Good" the stick was removed "Learn from the Elders, or you'll become the same specie as your father is"

She turned to Sid before going to sleep in the broken trunk outside

\- By the minutes …

His grandson sighted with effort before turning back to his patient

\- I'll give you a warning : it might sting a little.

\- What mixture is ….

He didn't get to finish. The relief was in action : a sharp pepper sting in the beginning, followed by a more pacific feeling in the end.

\- How's it going, buddy ?

Diego had his eyes shut because of the intense feeling

"Spirits lifted" he said with a heavy nod "I don't know where the heck I am"

"I'd bet anything that there was pimento in there" Shira wondered while examining the aftermath

As the tigress started searching for something in the back of the cave, Diego could confirm the theory.

\- Correct

A icy feeling ran through his whole body, making him jump a little. That little prank amused the others, specially Ellie.

Shira was done, she returned the coconut fragment back to a water source and reexamined her mate : His eyes were now wide open, they were wide open and looked fed up more than anything.

"I must be dreaming" he grumbled. It felt harmless though

"Hello, reality" she shared with a compassionate smile. Her claws were toying with Diego's neck.

A delicate smile replaced the morbid looking one.

\- Your good at surprises, no doubt.

\- You had a shower, that's already a thing you can tick off your daily agenda …

Sid intentionally coughed to grab their attention

\- I would like to make an announcement !

"Wait, I thought you already did …." Wondered Manny

\- …. I kept the best for the last !

As he said that, the hyraxes wielding the torches lighted the chief hyrax, descending with a quite big scroll ; sealed with a bamboo string. The mechanisms worked this time around, however the crowd stayed neutral. The hyrax with the blue print patrolled proudly towards Sid, and handed him the precious scroll. The sloth cleared his throat once again.

\- It is with great pleasure that I ….

"Go straight to the point, Sid" suggested Ellie

The sloth looked around : everybody had their eyes half open

\- …. It's getting really late ...

\- Okay guys, okay …. So what I'm announcing is dedicated to a very cute couple that I admire ….

"Come on, Ellie" Manny whispered "That's not our concern"

"For once, I can agree with you" she smiled at him.

They were off to bed

The hyrax untied the knot on the scroll and Sid unfolded it with a brief gesture of his hand. Shira could see a quick glimpse of what looked like a house project. She had to frown a bit to decipher the rest.

\- Hey …. Sweet memories.

\- Wait, is it ….

\- The old prison we held Shira in ? Yep ! That's the one !

After he had a quick look at the scroll, Diego looked back.

\- … You sure it hasn't ... _broken down_ when you left it ?

\- Trust me : I spent my whole time preparing this !

"It looks great" complimented the white saber

\- Thanks ! Well then …. Want me to show it to you ?

"Nah, it's fine thanks" his decision didn't take long

"Okay then ! I'll give you the directions. Listen closely ..." Sid looked excited, Diego on the other hand looked dubious

\- So you take the right, then follow the path …

\- Follow the path ? …

The saber couldn't understand why he was doubting the sloth, but no time to ask anyway : Sid was already heading joyfully to his bed trunk, whistling with glee.

"Sounds fishy …" frowned Diego

Shira looked around

\- I never liked that cave anyway …

He turned to her

\- Want to lead the way then ? I'm starting to get accustomed to that.

"Harr Harr" she mocked

His mate showed great signs of drowsiness in a spectacular yawn

\- Tired …

\- Alright : let's go then. Don't fall asleep halfway though ….

The pair took the right. Then it got really messy. Diego encountered an unnecessary amount of arrows, mounted on a stick. Fire sticks were planted too, but that bothered them less.

\- Ok : I'm not liking that …

Some arrows brushed aside along the way, they finally arrived at destination. He was SO ready to slap someone at that very moment ( _excluding_ his partner of course)

\- I'm SO having a word with that sloth tomorrow ….

A panel, mounted above the tree's entrance, read exactly this

" _Sleep tight Lovers ! "_

What also decorated the tree were flower garlands all over it, with as a little bonus, sea shells and others added to strings. Icing on the cake, an overly present perfume came from the inside with a smell coming from the earth and the sea. Diego never had face palmed that hard in his whole life. The mark on his face gave him a head ache afterwards.

"What is it ? …." Shira inquired between two dreamy mumbles

He panicked when trying to hide the view from Shira. They quickly laid on what felt like feather rugs and sighted with relief after that long day.

"Tomorrow's going to be a big day yet again …" she had problem building the sentence, as the night was progressively ordering her to go to sleep

\- Night' Mittens

He turned urgently to her, but she was already asleep. He sighted ; then step by step fell into a slumber, making a last eye contact with Shira.

\- That sounds better anyway ...

* * *

"Is Peaches having a great time with her friends ?" inquired Manny

\- How can I know ? It's the least of worries to think about anyway. Go to sleep honey.

A light bulb sparked in the Mammoth's head

\- Wait a minute … Where are Crash & Eddie ?

\- Manny : we gave her 3 days to make the most out of the expedition.

\- Yeah, but how come THEY are not back ? They need a briefing

"Oho okay, noted my general" she mocked with a questionable look towards her husband

\- Look here: you don't look the least worried about what's happening right now.

"Because there's nothing to worry about" she calmly replied

\- How's that ?

Patience grew within Ellie

\- You can already tell that If Crash & Eddie are not here, is because they know that she's alright.

\- But what if …

\- Your taking too much responsibility here. Let her live her life …

Manny was still staring at her

\- You said it yourself : she's not our little girl anymore. She can hold her own.

\- But can they ? …

\- Who ?

\- Those preteen hippies …

With a reserved chuckle, she prepared herself to fall asleep

\- Well that : I don't know …. Sweet dreams

\- You too, Ellie

* * *

 _Why are you dragging that dirt on your coat ?_

 _Little wonder …._

 _Begin the Games_

 _What do you want from me ?_

 _I think that's impossible to brush off ..._

 _You heard me ?_

 _Begin the games_

 _Wonder_

 _RUN_

 _Where have you been ?_

 _I'll come along, sweet thing_

 _Little wonder ..._

 _RUN_

 _Like the wind …. Come on : RUN_

 _Little Pest !_

 _I_ _'ll come along …_

 **NO**

A kick woke up Diego. He flinched, looked around him, then sensed a shudder on his back . Shira was looking cold ; her breaths were heavy, spasm were coming back & forth. 'Probably a nightmare' he wondered.

He took a glimpse at his rug, felt its warm touch, and decided to act :

The saber grabbed hold of the feathery rug, then covered Shira with it's warmth.

Diego wanted to make sure that he hasn't woken up his mate. She seemed more calm now.

Stretching himself and yawning in all his might. He decided to get the day started.

Off he went …. Through the entrance ….. Then out …. A shadow eclipsed the rising sun …. It disappeared in the wilderness ….. Gone …..

 **There ye go ;)**

 **So that was my latest chapter ! Don't hesitate in giving it a review (it helps alot !)**

 **Edit : Modified the chapter to improve it according to criticism**


	4. Chapter 4 : Look who's back

**Chap IV : Check your surroundings**

 **It's all an art to wake up in the herd : there are the ones that love the extended sleeps, going on until the sun has hit its peak in the sky ; others prefer the divine periods, being the very early hours (unsurprisingly there are not many who have that routine) ; and there are some who simply just completely forgot to wake up.**

 **Temperature was good, wind was moderate, but had some highs every 5 minutes, and every strong breeze was disturbing more and more an Acorn attached to its tree. Was it going to give up and fall ?**

 **Suspense rising, folks, because you see : what was beneath the branches of the tree was another, and this one had snores beneath it.**

 **It only took one last blow to make the object drop, and it really chose a great spot where to land :**

\- Ow !

 **Too late, damage done**

\- OK, now that's just the LIMIT ….

 **The poofy behemoth was now up, and ready to strike …**

\- How many times do I have to say this, possums ?

 **Lying unfazed close to him was his wife, half awake, sighing in a good way over the morning routines that ALWAYS begin with crescendo rants by her husband.**

\- NO MORNING PRANKS ON SUNDAYS !

 **As he finished his waking speech, he turned directly to the oak tree, and he switched like lightning**

\- Oh ….

 **The tree branch was empty, and while Manny was consciously thinking about where they would be, Ellie got up, her eyes blinking weakly and tired.**

 **He noticed that when he cautiously turned towards her, and was looking slightly embarrassed. He just HAD to say something, to mask the weird impression he was portraying with his eyes right now.**

"Sorry Hon' " _the contrast of tone felt between his rant and this delivery was ridiculous._

'It's fine ….' _You couldn't tell if her little smile had the warm or sarcastic tone to it_ 'I woke up worse to be honest'

 **Either way, she had a presence for that little moment**

 **A pause was felt. As Manny squinted and lowered his neck towards the sleeping place of Crash & Eddie, he looked back, again perplex, to Ellie.**

\- Ok, where are they ?

 **After a shy yawn from the female Mammoth, she joined today's puzzle**

 **A slightly confused look matched Manny's**

'This feels oddly familiar …' _this could sum up the exact resemblances of this conversation with yesterday's talk, yet Manny looked still in the phase of waking up. Despite that, he managed to join rapidly right after :_

\- I Shouldn't feel worried about their absence, yet I am ...

\- Manny, it's because they're supposed to look after Peaches

 **The silence filled the morning breeze.**

' "Top class guardians", my rear ….' _He grumbled_

 **The stomping pace kicked in as Manny rushed towards the high lands.**

\- I need Diego right now ….

 **He was gone, along with his temper. Ellie sighted lightly. She looked again at the tree branch**

'Where are you, babe ?' _she inquired in a low soft spoken voice_

* * *

 **Shira was in position. Atleast that's where Diego told her to stay put.**

'We're waiting for what exactly, soft spot ?' _she sighted lowly. Hard to tell if she was invested in what she was doing right now : she didn't precisely regain much energy with that last night sleep, so the resistance to doze off was quite weak The eyelids were not even half closed that she heard the most out of place shriek you could ever hear_

 ** _That would be worth to watch !_**

 **Atleast that would be the perfect way to illustrate Shira's reaction right that second**

 **A scurry towards the source of the sound awarded her with an unexpected conversation**

\- I swear ! What is your thing with Sundays ?

\- Routine, pal … It's called a routine !

 **The visuals caught her off-guard.**

 **Frank the Gazelle was spending a heavy effort trying to escape from Diego's chase.**

\- You know you'll make it out alive, Frank

 **As occupied was he to run, he managed to return a reply**

\- And you know what ? I keep doubting that !

 **Shira, on the other hand, was so amused by what she was seeing, that his partner needed to remind her :**

\- Shira, you're late for the call !

 **Immediate response. No time to finish her yawn. In her lightning dash towards her objective, she forced her mouth shut to focus.**

\- Remember ! Close in ! We'll meet !

"Wait, we're what ?!" _Franks ridiculous dehydrated voice barely echoed in the tight woods._

 **Tight was it indeed. The snow coated feline was having trouble navigating through the environment that was getting more and more unclear as she doubled the speed. Frank wasn't far, he wasn't far.**

 **She didn't notice until now : Shira had her eyes meeting the ground since the beginning of the chase ; it felt surreal, like her head was a magnet attracted to the earth. Is it the cause of her sudden headache ? The burn felt deep, yet she was still able to scurry through the vines. Her eyes were not feeling right.**

Lift them up, what do you see ?

 **That voice felt atrociously familiar. Her allure had to push on the brakes.**

NO

 **The figure of a saber had his features hidden from the shadows. It was still, motionless, displaying hardly any emotions at all.**

 **Shira's heart was in dead panic.**

 **The horror she was witnessing felt painfully real.**

 **Heart, taking control of her movements, taking control of her legs. The discomfort …. the helplessness … she was falling.**

 **The figure reacted. It slowly revealed what were fear.**

 **Fear has taken over.**

 **The eyes, blood colored, were looking straight at her.**

STOP IT !

 **It remained, staring back at her.**

 **All joy has gone out, fear has taken over.**

 **The jaw slightly dropped . It crept closer**

 **Fear has taken over.**

 ** _A pebble in the water_**

"I'll come along, sweet thing"

 **The impact, the collision, it felt painful. Fear felt gone.**

"Little pest !"

 **Eyes open, face startled, she never regained conscious that quick in her life.**

"Shira !" _another voice pierced through the nothing_

\- Shira, all you alright ?

 **She snapped**

\- You !

 **Diego jumped a bit**

\- You're okay ? I was worried …

 **She looked at him, out of words. She had never seen his partner react like that. She was looking away to get back some fresh air. A sudden gasp changed the setting. She was now looking for something**

\- Diego, the pawprints …

 **He looked over where she was nodding at in despair. The moment he realized, he stood still. His back was all Shira could see, but the subtle spasm of his neck showed doubt.**

\- Shira, you have to wake up ...

\- I'm not blind, it's …. There !

 **At that moment, Diego's face turned slowly towards her.**

 **Scream of all screams**

\- Stop it !

 **The true horror was there.**

 **Diego's eyes were bathed in blood.**

 **Fear has taken over.**

\- Those are Frank's, there's nothing wrong ….

\- Stay … AWAY from me !

\- I was there waiting for it to happen. You couldn't catch him …

\- Stay ….

\- I would've never done this ….

\- …. Away …

 _ **Why are you so concerned ?**_

 **Diego rushed In the den as soon as he heard the screams of despair.**

\- Kitty !

 **Shira was steaming. The sweat covered all of her body, while it continued to convulse uncontrollably.**

'Stop it !' _she cried_

 **Diego could only stand there, panting, trying to find sense, a cure.**

 **Finally, he decided to put his paw next to her neck to calm her, while his eyes were getting desperate and watery.**

* * *

 **Shira was in the farthest deep corner of the den, trying to recollect what she just saw, and looking around her in desperation to see if any of that happened. She couldn't tell, she was unable to explain.**

\- I want to understand, Shira …..

 **She couldn't move a muscle of her head to react. Diego had his voice drowned by worry.**

\- I'm really lost right now

 **The tigress felt a little more responsive this time around : her head turned slowly towards Diego, he indeed looked deeply puzzled, standing just outside the main entrance.**

 **The isolated impression she expressed through her body language made her look miserable.**

"Something is wrong …." _It sounded as if she was on the brink of breaking in shambles, but she kept it sturdy after the delivery. The thought of crying embarrassed her, because she wanted to stay metal, a mind of metal, able to cope with these situations. Right now it is the hardest feat she's trying to deal with._

 **Meantime, her eyes stood startled, but now looking straight and away.**

 **Both sabers were unaware that the weather had drastically changed in so little time : the hitting sun was replaced by a moderate shower rain.**

 **Diego's face, apart from the raindrops pouring over the top of his head and streaming down, no longer looked worried, but intrigued. The rain didn't get a reaction from him.**

\- What do you remember ?

 **Shira barely could lift her head, still looking at the ground with her mouth mildly open. She managed though once again to look back at him, but in no way she was going to tell about how she saw him, it would complicate even more the problem.**

 **Just looking at him made her even more isolated. That however persuaded his companion to approach closer, but the change wasn't much from the initial position.**

 **It hit her ; she whispered unconsciously :**

\- Frank ….

\- Frank ?

 **Her eyes met his, amidst from a distance.**

"You told me yesterday ….. that he was for the next lesson" _as she said each word progressively, realizing how odd the familiarities were, the tone of her voice became lost._

\- I …. I saw him

 **He frowned lightly at the sentence to avoid looking insulting. A slight step back preceded a processing from Diego's part that took him couple of seconds. His eyes were away right that moment, but you could see them widening in fear. He finally looked back at her, now having a look of small panic, his jaw slightly dropped :**

\- Frank, the Gazelle ?

 **She seemed more awake now ; the reply showed :**

\- Wait …. what is it ?

 **He had slowly returned to his senses, remembering why he had returned that fast in the first place.**

\- I can't find him ...

 **He now realized how much this morning was changing by the minutes. Shira was looking at him, voiceless, in disbelief. She was now two steps closer to Diego, her reaction close to lightning :**

\- Frank is …. ?

"Diego !"

 **That came from downhill, and both sabers had their head looking at the entrance, alert.**

"That's Manny …" _uttered Diego_

* * *

 **Rain was pouring even more than before, that didn't stop some folks like Sid to wander around, looking for something**

\- GRANNY !

 **He could have sworn hearing her waking up 2 hours earlier than him, and that was pretty uncommon.**

 **She could be ANYWHERE, and that was enough to convince Sid in looking for her. Now for the hard part.**

\- Granny, you forgot your teeth !

 **That was a pretty weak attempt, as the rain was reducing any chances for his voice to reach out.**

 **No response eventually.**

 **He's now been out there in the wild forest for half an hour, and every possible hideout has been examined.**

 **That branch ?**

 **Possibly ?**

 **How about that trunk ?**

 **Maybe this little ….**

 **He stopped, his hands as immobile as a statue.**

 **A large chunk of wood material was crushed.**

 **Sid long face was struck, stuck looking at the devastated set piece. It was set of average tall trees, arranged in a circle, crushed by god knows how much weight, or strength of a mysterious beast. If the aftermath is any indication, it was big, massive, monstrous in might …..**

 **Coming close carefully with his crossed twitching hands and his prudent pace.**

"Oh man …." _his soft spoken voice was still met with an ounce of fear._

 **It looked like there was a fight, only it didn't end well for one : claw marks filled a handful of trees, inducing serious damages for some of them.**

 **However, that wasn't the biggest detail that was grabbing Sid's attention.**

 **Red. Tainted red made him take a step back, shock seen from head to toe.**

'Granny ?' _he tried to mutter_

 **His head now looking in every direction, he was now panicking. Granny can be anywhere near ….**

 **A crack made him look again, by instinct inciting him to crouch low, being prepared to anything, and there was it.**

 **A behemoth of a shadow was dragging a prey, his eyes glowing a sharp brown blood red.**

 **Sid was unaware at what was happening to him : His legs were fidgeting at an alarming pace, making them run like wild. He couldn't control himself, and he certainly couldn't see what was awaiting him.**

 **The next thing that occurred involved a vine, a cliff, bumps, lots of them, and a knock out of the most brutal kind.**

 **The shadow stopped, it turned his head towards the commotion, his prey steady in his jaw. Sid was** **asleep, against his will, at the mercy of nature**

* * *

 **Abroad, far from the coast, where the sea was at it's deepest, had, despite the heat, wondering ice polar caps floating about. You had them at all sizes : average, huge, and small. It may not look interesting, but as we dive deeper and closer to the water surface, there is one block that holds attention.**

 **A unconscious being, grasping unto the sides of the object. A small, skinny but capable animal that seems biped, is in a deep sleep. His face was covered of a scar that was covered by a leaf patch. His back was however endorsed with a large neck scarf, red, reading a cross bone skull.**

END

 _Really sorry for the lack of update of this story in a LONG time, but call me ready to continue very soon !_

 _See you, Folks ! :)_


	5. Chapter 5 : Wait till you learn

**Chapter V : Wait till you learn**

 **The figure was motionless, the sleepness still dominating the many members of his body.**

 **A particule of dust among air's molecules.**

 **The block of ice dispatched, it was now even smaller to serve support for the fellow that he was. Strong for his size, but still small on scale.**

 **He wouldn't have felt it, but the first contact with the dust of the shore was a contrast of the deepest kind, compared to what was loneliness on the biggest desert that existed on Earth.**

 **There he was. Five years have past, and time consumed him.**

 **Buck the weasel looked worn out by the strakes of grey populating more and more his hair. The chin lost colors too, but as a whole, the adventurer still looked the same as he was back then, down deep in the Jurassic world.**

 **No matter how many times the waves washed over him, he was still dormant, face against the sand.**

* * *

"If you ever got a glimpse of those mermaids Sid talked about …."

 **That came from the deep woods. As if luck struck, here was Crash & Eddie, down on some serious business.**

"You never did, bro" mocked Crash "admit it"

\- It's hard, no joke, you have more chance to at night though.

\- What makes you think that ?

 **Eddie was smiling glamorously, as if he was going to reveal some scoop.**

\- They aren't quite the same at night ….

"At night, eh ?" the mockery hid underneath Crash's smile

\- Well think about it : it wouldn't look very logical in broad day light

\- Because its dream stuff

 **Crash congratulated himself with that punchline, grinning in secret with his head down. The head now back up, he followed :**

\- Boy, Eddie, if you ever knew what a ride I had last night …

\- You dreamt ?

He eyed his brother, showing off "Hmm hmm"

\- I never get to do that …

\- You gotta sleep more, Ed'. Dudes do dream when they're deep.

"I ain't deep enough to have 5 hours of sleep, its scandalous ! " Eddie lamented softly, but weirdly he seemed to pretend "so …. what about it anyway ?"

 **Crash, deep in his story, was using his hands very perversely, illustrating the kind of tale he had :**

\- So their was this possum chick, you see ? ….

 **He looked over at his brother, static hands, expecting a return. He resumed quite rapidly to his handwork. The question was rhetorical.**

\- Angela ?

 **The reply was faster than he expected. He was midway in looking at his hands when Eddie's mouth made him look back sharply, surprised. The frown was of the most powerful.**

\- How in the …

\- Turk's sister and our childhood friend, the one I cheated with ?

"Oh yeah …. true …." The coincidence was awkward, but he continued nonetheless.

\- So I was there, I got her in my sight, and she started to talk to me, like I was her destiny

"And she said what ?" his brother inquired, cross-hands on the back

'You are my destiny'

 **He made it look obvious with a condescending look.**

\- And the crazy part is that I could hear myself speak to her, going like 'Come closer, and I'll give you what you want'

 **That regal impression made Eddie chuckle, waiting impatiently for the rest of the story.**

" 'Enter my world too baby !' " the narration was getting more intense. He smiled, mouth slightly open to Eddie, in excitement

 **His brother was mouthing the exact same words, playfully, just before Crash had his eyes on him.**

\- And I could tell the next thing that happened, I touched concrete, bro … CON-CRETE

\- Looks promising for what's to follow …

\- I know, and you haven't even heard the other half …

 **Crash was now looking straight in Eddie eyes. The cheeky expression he gave made the other stop, realizing what it meant : Ed' was now nodding in glee.**

* * *

\- YOU JUST HAD TO DO IT, OF COURSE !

 **The forest was now trembling in the ruckus that the twins were doing. Tons of birds felt insulted by those screams, because the next thing they were doing was fly the farthest away from the source of noise.**

 **Speaking of flying, Eddie was catapulted so high up in the air his body stormed directly out of the forest's perimeter, landing face first in the beach's sand.**

\- Eddie boy, you're in for something right now !

 **The latter lifted himself back up with the force of his arms, but he could barely do it with the hysterical laughter he was trying to contain.**

\- So the log on me, the water splashed on me, you just had to do it !

"It was just beautiful, all of it, beautiful …." It felt like they were talking face to face, but there were still a big gap separating them.

\- Beautiful …

 **He was still having the laugh of his life, but all it took was a single glance at his right shoulder : the smile shrank, and the eyes enlarged. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.**

 **Crash was almost at the end of his stalk towards Eddie, that a rare cry made him stop dead.**

\- CRASH, A MERMAID !

 **The slight tilt of his head made him look quite dubious.**

\- You say ?

\- YOU HEARD ME !

\- No

\- It's REAL !

\- It's not …

\- YES !

\- No

\- You owe me some if I'm right !

\- You already owe me some so you're ….

 **He stopped right there when he reached Eddie. He was cowering in fear, covering his eyes with his hands, as any child would do, sitting vulnerably on the beach. Crash took one look at the mermaid, and his eyes widened too.**

\- …. Wrong

 **Between heavy breaths, his brother implored, with his eyes still covered**

\- I was right all along you see ?

 **Crash couldn't believe what Eddie couldn't see. He looked at him, with his head inclined, scratching**

\- Eddie …

\- What ?

\- You ow me more for that next lunch …

\- Can't you see ?

'Eddie' he couldn't take it anymore. He removed the seaweed on the figure, scurried heavily towards Eddie, and removed furiously his arms from his face. The eyes were not making tricks this time.

\- Oh man ….

 **He lifted himself back up so fast that he looked like someone else. The contrast of energy between the two was crazy.**

\- It's him ….

 **Eddie was ready to pick him up, but Crash was still in disbelief on his brother.**

\- Help me get him off the beach, he's looking bad !

 **For a split second, he was continuing to look at Eddie with his arm crossed. He joined the support anyway, rolling his eyes.**

\- Unbelievable …

* * *

 **They tried, tried. However, after multiple questionable attempts to wake their master up, they were left exhausted, frustrated to not hear Buck, speaking to them in his distinctive** **voice**.

C - How much time we spent ?

E - 1 minute...

 **As ridiculous the time was, Crash couldn't deal with the fact that they tried virtually anything to kick Buck out of his sleep.**

C - We tried like 10 aid techniques, and none of them worked!

E - Yeah...

C - You remember the procedures with each technique?

E - Well... kinda... I lost the leaf book for them...

C - Where did we do wrong?

E - I don't even know if we actually did 10 techniques...

 **The conversation was stretching to nowhere. They just sat There, cross armed, the weasel installed against a tree, thinking in the most obvious look possible.**

E - Tired...

 **They sat there, unsure of what to do next, and that made them sleepy for a reason, despite the fact that it was barely MID-DAY .**

 **Eyes shut, they remained now still...**

 **Shining blue, an edible piece of fruit was stuck in the lower jaw of Buck when watching more closely. He was still deep in his slumber, mouth half open.**

 **Out of nowhere though, Eddie got to his feet to fetch something. Crash only needed to squint effortlessly his eyes** **to activate his alarm.**

\- Dude !

 **Eddie had in his hand a palm branch with some special fluid on it, and his twin brother knew exactly what it meant.**

E – Yeah … might not be the time yet ….

* * *

\- Have you seen Peaches this morning ?

\- No, not that I rememb ...

\- You don't KNOW exactly ? I THOUGHT YOU WERE RELIABLE !

 **It all looked too familiar : Diego was being forced to cope with someone larger than himself, and he couldn't shake the fact that Manny was as imposing as the last time they faced each other. Eyes expressed fear, but face as a whole was confident.**

\- Manny ….

 **The mammoth took a glance at his partner, and caught wind about what he was doing. He deflated fast, breath intervals dropping in.**

\- You can't believe how frustrating it can be to be a parent sometimes ...

 **Everybody could hear him sigh. Manny was head on tree, dampening it to calm his nerves not far from the cypher. The face looked down.**

'We have been getting through some trouble too on our own' Diego informed. He tried to be as calm and vague as possible to avoid piling up the problems on everyone's conscious.

\- What kind of trouble ?

 **Diego turned swiftly but shyly towards Shira, reading the shock still hitting her, but contained. She shared a meek eye turn, but it didn't meet his'. The expression was an exhausted one. However, Manny was back in the conversation, looking estranged at the sabers.** **He had stopped the quiet thumping.**

\- We're having a problem with a hunting session...

 **Ellie gave an awkward look, wondering what he meant, but Shira was having deep problems grasping the atmosphere that he was creating in the discussion. Manny was approaching the circle little by little, frowning intently to the meaning behind the reply.**

 **Diego resented that, but he was late to what was following :**

'Do you know ANYTHING that has to do with my daughter's absence ?' he was looking plain dangerous. It felt as if Diego didn't even know Manny, it felt as if he was dealing with an unknown individual. The saber took a step back.

\- Manny... If you think that I would betray your faith in me for doing...

\- You sure as heck know how WRONG this sounds !

"Manny, for the love of nature, calm down ! " Ellie could barely reason with her husband

 **Shira couldn't bear the tension that was plain choking her. Manny looked at her, straight dead on.**

\- And YOU ? I bet you're on...

\- OUR PREY HAS BEEN KILLED !

 **The tremor stopped. Everybody was looking at her, everybody looked different in their face. Ellie lowered her head and her eyes were all wide in concerned. Manny stopped abruptly his attack. Now with the information at hand, he took a more subtle turn.**

\- Is it... someone we know ?

'Frank' Diego murmured. The very nervous teeth clench he made showed his concern towards the reveal. He still didn't recover from the verbal attack.

 **Shira looked at him, worrying on the impact her move had on him, but he did not respond. Straight looking and keeping his calm, he seemed slightly tear eyed.**

\- Oh no...

 **Ellie's reaction was nothing compared to Manny's.**

\- We're watched, aren't we ?

\- We can't confirm it...

\- Just ADMIT it ! They're lurking somewhere on this island !

 **Eye meet eye. It was surprising to see how close they sounded as friends when exchanging compared to what they were doing a minute ago...**

\- We NEED to work this carefully...

\- If we need to take precaution, then we should go for the pack theory !

\- We aren't sure with how many we're dealing with...

\- Where's Sid ?

 **The heads now turn towards Ellie, and she had a point.**

\- We've been debating for 10 minute, but has anyone seen him this morning?

"No" Manny responded swiftly while still having intrigue in the tone.

\- Anyone ?

 **The silence gave the answer**

 **"** That gives us then another reason to search the island" Ellie concluded with a look discerning all of the others. She sounded legitimately serious

\- Now hold on just a second...

 **Diego was now looking at Manny. It was always business by just the hearing of this tone.**

\- We need to think about the way we're doing this...

\- Rain is getting even more rough

 **Diego acquainted this statement with a shy nod, looking up to the tree branches, mimicking Shira.**

\- Rain or not, these are Sid and Peaches we're talking about...

\- They can be anywhere Ellie ; and there's two of them...

\- And we're four.

 **He could sense what was following. Manny was now looking at the sabers, studying them but not for long.**

 **"** The best way we can split is that I go with Diego" She had her eyes directed to him, and she was obviously waiting for a reply.

 **He shared a look with Shira, but she quickly responded with a confident mouthed "don't worry". He nodded lightly in comprehension and turned back to Ellie.**

\- So you'll be paired with Shira ?

\- You got it...

 **Manny responded firmly, but Diego could sense doubt within him.**

\- So the last thing we need to have, is a trace, or else we'll take alot of time for this.

\- I have an idea about Peaches...

 **They learned later that footprints belonging to Sid headed behind what was the sabers' home. They were now ready. The young couple took the time in giving themselves a head, a moment of last warmth in all the rain.**

\- Take care of yourself, okay ? Any bad dreams, you fight them ; they're not real

 **She lifted her head. Shira acquainted with an assured nod, even being quite weak.**

"We can all trust each other on this, correct?" Manny was in deep need to ask this last inquiry

"No worries" Ellie smiled "It's Diego I'm having here"

 **On a positive mark, everybody departed in a different direction : Ellie & Diego on the trail to Sid, Manny and Shira on Peaches'.**

* * *

 **Taking out that edible shrapnel of Buck's mouth was now the main interest of the twins. It looked like a dentist visit from the way they were examining.**

\- You're telling me, with that big of a thing in his mouth, you did not notice it for the ten minutes we spent looking at him ?

\- I was not the one looking at him like food, Ed'.

 **They looked at each other in a careful fashion, throwing darts with their eyes.**

 **A sudden jerk of the head woke them up. Buck was coughing.**

C - Sweet baby berries... Eddie, get the health insurance !

 **Purple juice came out of his mouth, and his eyes were desperately trying to open up. As he was getting more and more conscious, Buck coughed out the last bit of fruit he had kept unknowingly in his mouth during the slumber.**

\- Buck, can you hear us ?

 **He was breathing normally for a second, than collapsed against the palm tree he was pressed on.**

"Oh no …." Gasped silently Crash "… Is he …."

\- BAH !

 **All it needed was timing, and Crash jumped like the devil.**

 **There he was, laid back on his palm tree, with the biggest chuckle in the world. The warmest smile awarded the possums as Buck was emotionally shaking his head.**

\- Fellow mammals, you can't believe how much I missed you

 **There was hardly a time for him to breath right after : Crash was already engaged in the most heartfelt embrace. Buck knew this moment could compensate the loneliness he felt after their departure, so he didn't waste any second of it.**

\- One half of you is not the worth of two ; where's Eddie ?

 **It didn't take long anyway for Crash to locate his brother in the environment. He knew exactly what to say.**

\- Eddie, he's sane ! Put that down !

 **His brother, struck, was holding once again the palm branch. Dropping it unconsciously, he scurried emotionally to join the moment.**

"Of all the places I land on, it's yours" Buck exhaled in genuine amusement and surprise

 **The possum were still in embrace, but one of them caught glimpse of what Buck had on his back.**

\- Hey Buck, what's that you have on your back ?

 **He adopted a straight posture immediately after the inquiry. Memories were hitting him more than ever before, and suddenly realized what he was missing. The possums landed in front of him after the sharp posture.**

 **He quickly proceeded in checking his custom made satchel** , **but panic was the only return.**

"Oh" gasped silently Eddie

 **Buck was lifting his head slowly and in despair when he realized what he had lost. He was now looking at the possums, and then slightly down.**

\- I'll go look on the beach, I'm sure it's there !

 **Eddie was trying to appear hopeful, but Buck saw no hope in the help. He was shaking his head, mouth lightly gaping, and trying to fight back the tears.**

\- It's not ….

 **The possums were now hesitant to head any further. Buck was slowly trying to get back to his feet, and a headache was disturbing his head. With help from his friends, he was ready to gain the sediment grounds.**

 **Out of the forest, he could see the ocean. A speck of ice from the pirate ship in the horizon was just enough to make him say.**

\- It's gone from this earth ….

* * *

 **Trapped in his giant maw, Frank was a goner. The imposing shadow crept through the last remains of soaked trees from the last rain, until it dropped the body out of sheer fatigue. It was relaxing his jaw muscles and spitting the last remains of blood he had in** **his mouth until he heard movements in the distance. He could easily recognize the fellow and asked amusingly :**

\- So you're the next one Zelan's sending ?

 **His comparse was now bathing in the light of the returning sun, showing a body that was slim. He was of the same height as Shira, only appearing slightly older looking. Despite a small body, the strenght was mostly seen in his legs, not really big in an exaggerated way, but still slick and tough. You could probably already tell the difference of speed between the two fellows. Sporting a really bold brown, it was accompanied by streamlined white and black strakes on each of his two front paws, with the back paws having just an inch of white on the talons ; it made him look even more built for speed.** **The face surprisingly showed some similarities to Shira's, despite the sharper and longer saber teeth, and a beautiful amber populating the eyes.** **As was for his chest, a thin egg shaped white spot dominated right to the belly, while a severe scar drawed on the entirety of the front, running even up to the lower parts of his neck ; it made him hard to move his head freely.**

 **He looked exhausted, and the sight of his colleague with that big of a prey made him hilariously worried.**

\- Why thanks, I won't even need to do my job correctly !

\- It's lasting two days, Mitch.

\- That's reaching a bit ...

\- Food is all we need right now, so disrupting your duty is going to cost the pack ; A LOT ...

\- Oh, we're famished ?

 **His partner looked at him with the most questionable expression, quite definitely tired at this point.**

 **Mitch, maw gaping, mimicked satirically the expression, acknowledging progressively the message, sighted averagely with his eyes closed, while resuming his walk, yawning.**

\- Eeeh, yeah we are apparently ...

 **For Kane, it was essentially routine with this one. Compared to Mitch, the behemoth was twice his height. Vicious teeth, vicious claws ; a considerable amount of bulk populated the whole body. Coating that strenght was a mud brown fur, sporting spots that recalled peafowl patterns, only less defined and overshadowed by the unatractive color he had.** **As was also the case for Soto, Kane possessed an abundant mane on each side of his round face, ociliating betwwen dark beige, black and white. There was also a** **distracting amount of black hair sprouting on the back of his mane, making him look like he possessed quills. The average lump on his back made it stand out even more.**

 **Above all, the eyes were a stunner : the amount of hemoglobine in the brown of his iris gave him a special look, if not psychotic.**

 **-** It's not you anyway that has to carry wounds on his shoulders while working ...

'You blame luck on that ?' _Kane's voice may sound deep and gruff, but you could definitely tell he was annoyed_

\- Ever been in a fight ?

\- I have no threats, there's no need to discuss that ...

 **A silence was met when Mitch looked back to him.**

\- Sure ... What do I know ?

 **His unconsiderable attitude didn't go unnoticed**

\- You should know ...

 **Half way through his sentence, he turned to Mitch, while he was about to disappear into dusk's forest.**

 **\- ...** Humans are playing with fire close to the beach

 **Mitch once again looked back. The neck slightly dropping, with one if not the most done expression on his face.**

 **-** This couldn't be even more motivating, coach

 **That made his mentor smile amusingly for some reason**

\- That sounded sincere, sing me more

\- Go away ...

 **Seeing the last remains of Mitch as he pushes himself deeper into the forest, Kane resumed his strut back home with the unfortunate victim deep in his maw.**

 **Gone they were**


	6. Chapter 6 : Wait till I tell you

**Chapter 6 : I need to tell** **you**

 **It didn't take long for rain to kick in again. Coarse and tough winds came back, pushing the tree's branches to dance dangerously.**

 **Sid was still unconscious, his body laying on what appeared to be a slice of a trunk, getting progressively disturbed by the streams of rain water that swept all leaves on it's way.**

 **The trunk finally gave in, dragging Sid downhill, down with the stream, until it met a crack of a soft rock formation, engulfing the sloth in it's dark mouth. It looked like it belonged close to the beach**

 **The impact had to be noisy, only it didn't. The interior of the unlikely cave drowned any noise that would alert anything outside of it's hole, isolating whoever wanted to cry for help.**

 **Luckily for Sid, the collision course was with a heap of watery dead leaves, not disturbing in any way his deep sleep.** **A familiar voice called for Sid, but it was lost to the profound sound of waves that resonated throughout the passages of the cave, humid and covered with dead seaweed. It looked like a mystical and forgotten labyrinth down there.**

 **The voice cried again, only lost once more.**

SID !

* * *

 **It might have been the umpteenth time he called that name, but he was still hopeful.**

"Sid where are you ?" _Ellie joined in._

 **Diego lowered his neck and stared at the ground intently. His mind processing the mud, but the proofs were gone, the rain ate it all up.**

\- We're going to have a hard time ...

 **He was looking at the mammoth, but the saber didn't need to finish his sentence to share the message.**

 **She acquainted with a slow nod while folding her eyelids. Once she looked back at him, Ellie was still warmful with her shy smile.**

\- Can you trace him with your scent ?

 **Diego looked up to her, having a disconcerting face, indicating the difficulty in the feat.**

"No" _he sighted, disappointed deep within to admit a flaw._

 **A crack alarmed Ellie. Diego scurried to safety just in time before a fragile tree collapsed on the exact spot he was on.**

\- You're not hurt ?

\- Fine, thanks ...

 **They chose to cover themselves from the rain under a safe robust trunk, while Diego explained to Ellie an anecdote**

\- Scent has never been our best tool for hunting, hearing on the other hand is what we're good at.

 **Ellie, soaked, listened carefully, like she was hearing a bedtime story.**

 **The clay saber was flicking his ears to one direction. He looked to his side while continuing**

\- Right now, it's only rain around us

 **Diego was now laying down, continuing his demonstration. He looked like he was in control of the environment around him.**

\- There's some noise coming from small animals ...

 **The ears stopped flicking**

\- Sid is a hard thing to catch right now.

\- He must be sleeping ...

 **He stared at Ellie ; Diego saw another meaning in her statement, even though she sounded optimistic. She caught wind quite fast and backtracked on what she said.**

\- Sorry, I mean he can still be alive.

\- It's all right.

 **The wind sang between the branches, distracting the mammoth.**

"A whole pack on this land, on our tail ..." _he dug himself deep in his front paws,while his eyes darted straight ahead._

 **The saber was extremely hard on himself right now, thinking of a solution.**

 **He** **knew how dangerous was the situation with a potential pack on the loose, and couldn't fathom their chances of making it out alive.**

 **Out of nowhere, the ears flicked at light speed.**

\- What is it Diego ?

 **He sprung up to his feet in a bang, fearing an ambush.**

 **Ellie looked worringly at his companion, but he seemed to water down progressively**

\- That was one, not far away ...

 **Her eyes widened**

"He isn't aware of us" _he sighted in relief, but his selflessness made him hyperventilate quite assuredly._

\- Hunting ?

\- Fast run yeah ...

 **Ellie could tell that the atmosphere was brooding. She took a chance in changing it :**

\- How are you two doing anyway ?

 **Diego's face changed. He looked at her quite neutrally, until he broke in a shy but warm smile.**

\- Happy ? Excited ?

\- All kinds of things ...

 **He felt embarassed and shied away. Ellie just felt proud in being able to change his mood for the better**

\- Did you tell her ?

 **He just knew right away what that meant.**

\- N... No, not officially

 **She tilted her head in compassionate** **amusement.**

\- No stress at all, it'll come along naturally

 **While looking downwards, he exhaled meekly**

\- That's not the only thing that is bugging me

 **Ellie withdrew the smile, adopting a more serious expression**

\- Is it something with her ?

\- Something with her dreams, she barely recovered from last night ...

\- How serious is it ?

\- I don't know, she couldn't tell me ...

 **The female mammoth listened intently, concentrated on him.**

\- ... It felt like a trauma ; she was clearly in pain physically too.

\- It could be a memory Diego

 **The rain still dropping, he had his eye out on the dark openings of the forest. Anything could live beneath these trees.**

\- It could be anything ...

* * *

 **The cave definitely felt humid, but it won't stop a fire from running. Shira was shaking off the rain's work on her fur, while Manny still kept an eye on the outside, the face exhausted after crying out to the wilderness.**

\- The land is vast, Mammoth ...

 **That made him turn to her quite vividly. She lost some dignity in the process, but she didn't want to appear weak once again.**

\- It'd be better that we rest as much as we can before continuing the search.

 **He looked to his left, admitting defeat.**

\- Can't argue with that ...

 **Manny examined the cave bit by bit, looking for some chunk.**

\- You know, there's no need to call me ...

\- It's just out of respect.

 **Looking back at her again, you couldn't tell what he was thinking. Shira was concerned** **through. She was definitely intimidated.**

\- Help me find some wood to burn for tonight.

 **One look at the outdoors made her ask, although avoiding to sound sarcastic**

\- Shouldn't there be more outside of the cave ?

\- That's one experience we'll never replicate

 **Qui** **te assuredly from the depths of the cave, Manny returned with a small amount of wood.**

\- Best way to create a fireball, you get wet wood, having Sid around is handy too.

 **That almost made Shira laughed, but she contained it at the last second with a shut smile.**

\- Not to forget the bigger amounts of smoke. Good luck sleeping with that ...

 **He knew to add other small combustibles to support a fire. All Manny needed after that was a solid rock to pick up.**

 **Back at Shira, he couldn't help but sigh lightly at the sight of her.**

\- Listen girl ...

 **Before he continued, the mammoth inhaled while looking upwards. He looked back down at her**

\- Don't hide it : you're afraid of me

 **That was a perfect hit. Shira could barely say anything.**

\- These coming days will mark a time when we'll need each other's help more than before ; even in you.

 **The last bits of rain dropped near the entrance. Manny was raising the rock with the tip of his trunk.**

\- I want you to know that I am sorry for this morning.

 **She leaned back her head calmly. The body felt more relieved, but she didn't know what would come next. The neutral but serene expression that had Manny could hide so many things.**

 **He turned towards the wall, and was looking for a good spot.**

\- There ...

 **The rock began to form sparkles as it experienced an intense friction against the wall.**

\- Courtesy from the fire king.

* * *

 **The fire exploded, smoke invading the sky. From the smolders, Crash Eddie emerged, coughing. From another side of the source of fire, Buck withdraws a leaf shield he created just in case it would happen. It ressembled a fan. Chomping on a stick, the weasel was far from being surprised, remaining incredibly unfazed from the situation.**

\- Kill it !

 **You could barely tell what the heck Crash was trying to do with his arms, but he seemed to be looking for an object to choke the ever growing flames on the grass and leaves. But here came Eddie, flailing the palm leaf he had kept with him. It was like witnessing a miracle : with the excitement of Eddie's actions, the weapon didn't let one single source of fire a chance to breath. All was back to normal, except for Eddie, all black.**

"Eddie you're a genius !" _It didn't take long for his brother to come to him, all excited about what he just saw._

 **Eddie felt different though : considering his relative with doubt, out of nowhere he clutches the palm tree branch deep in his arms.**

\- It's mine.

 **An awkward silence came about. Buck was letting out a very short snicker, but he still remained quite reserved because of his loss.**

 **It took Crash a pretty long time before asking :**

\- Need help bro ?

 **He responded by holding his trusted weapon over his shoulder like a soldier. The attitude breathed business too.**

\- So Peaches is all grown up now eh ?

 **The focus shifted quite rapidly. Crash returned closer to Buck, while Eddie was now considering washing himself at the sea. The weasel reassembled a competent looking fireplace and reajusted the sittings he created for the three of them. He was preparing the campfire story comfortably.**

Yeah, tons of things happened man" _The possum resumed his nostalgic discussion about the past events_

\- You had a considerable share of strange events eh ?

\- Weird no ?

\- Nah ...

 **It would be hard to impress Buck with these over-the-top stories ; his whole life revolved around these. A wide smile of his resumed his thoughts on the matter.**

\- I don't think you're ready for what you're about to hear ...

 **The pair was interrupted by some considerable munching. It turned out to be Eddie, all clean, eating berries from a basket that came from the pirate ship.**

\- Is it story time yet ?

* * *

\- So here I was ...

 **All was in place : the fire, the possums, the end of the rain, the clear sky, and the bright moon shining upon the camp. Buck, seated deep in his homemade leaf cushion, was carving the beginning of a figure from a piece of wood. And the story began :**

 ** _Here he was, minding his own business. A typical day like always ; morning was fine, but noon marked a sudden change of pace. From top to bottom, the earth was trembling like never before, revealing cracks big enough to swallow a tree. He made a run for it, trying his best to squint through falling vines, cliffs, lava boulders. He felt so close to dying that the adrenaline made him quicker than ever. It felt exciting but devasting all the same because of the many dinosaurs who fell trap to the apocalypse. He could see it, and that was hard to digest._**

 ** _A spark of light called upon Buck. It was high, up high ... Close to the ceiling. He was loosing pace, tripping on a dead pterodactyl. The light was loosing intensity, the upper floor was close to meeting the bottom ; the latter lifting itself up like a techtonic plate. Where was the air ?_**

 ** _Air, sweet air came about. He fell unconscious for a brief moment, and the wake was met with salty air. He ended up in the middle of the ocean with nothing but a corpse of a lifeless dinosaur. The sight before him was nothing short of terrifying. Smoke was permanent, but beneath all that were every element he could think of his home : it now looked ruined, eaten by the gargantuan ocean, and the dead dinosaur on his moving island was the icing on top. Buck couldn't express enough how the next part of his journey was visceral on his heart._**

 ** _For days, he was fighting the urge to eat, fighting himself to put an end to the last remaining proof of his home : the dead dinosaur. Fidgeting with his trusted knife, he tried to avoid such smearing with eating herbs, cooked half-rotten fruits, and taking the risk in hunting for fish in the water. He experienced a near dreadful end with a megalodon had he not jump to safety : the creature lost number of his teeth on the floating concrete._**

 ** _He couldn't help but remain adamant towards the dead beast, and it hurt his appearance in the process : dark circles began to form under his eyes, teeth were falling one by one, and his fur was making a weird turn. Crouched, at the mercy of the ice cold winds against his soaked skin, he stared at the corpse who miraculously still looked healthy. Everything on the downsizing floating land was sucked dry : no more herbs, or fruits, and his body grew too weak to hunt the waters._**

 ** _He trembled in disbelief, lifting himself. Lifting the knife, but he didn't want to ..._**

 ** _Plodding towards the healthy carcass, he didn't want to ..._**

 ** _What is pushing him ?_**

 ** _The body cried it's need_**

 ** _The mind urged for this need to disappear_**

 ** _He didn't want to ..._**

 ** _The knife did it's job, but Buck couldn't believe what he just did._**

 ** _His hunger made the meat disappear quite rapidly, but it didn't stop Buck to throw up a part of it in disgust. He vandalized his own home, he destroyed the last remains of it ; nothing could change what he just inflicted. The skull of the dinosaur was all that was left, and it's empty stare towards the weasel was too much to handle._**

 ** _Sinful, that's all he felt, and that's all he could think about before going to sleep._**

 ** _The next day, he woke up elsewhere. That alarmed him, but his body was too weak to react. The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by peculiar animals. They all looked straight from another world, but a large imposing shadow attracted more his attention_**

 ** _Complimenting his eye band, it didn't take much time for Gutt to offer him a place in the crew. The patch was a plus, but he was given a red scarf with a pirate insignia to justify his membership._**

 ** _He was also given lectures about the rules aboard the ship, as for the philosophy the crew follows._**

 ** _He nodded politely, but deep down he was in no way agreeing with their beliefs._**

 ** _After a lemon-eating ceremony, he was assigned to a blacksmith duty, working closely with Raz. But that was hardly the only shipmate he interacted with ..._**

* * *

 **Eddie was listening to every detail, and he had hardly finished his berry basket. Crash was taken out of the story for a short while**

C - Do you need help with that ?

E - No

 **He was referring to the life-insurance palm branch ...**

* * *

 ** _He was visited quite often by the second in command on the ship : Shira._**

 ** _Buck reckoned that she was intrigued by his appearance. It then started with some exchanges after the work. It developed quite rapidly into a strong friendship as the two would spend hours on the tip of the ship talking about anything, really._**

 ** _It took her off guard one night though when the weasel began recalling hints of his past. Shira was disturbed by the crime he was commiting on the ice vessel, but it didn't seem to bother him at all._**

* * *

 **Crash was reaching for the basket, Eddie was drawing the basket away from his brother at the same time, their eyes still locked on Buck. The former looked pretty silly afterwards.**

* * *

 ** _The following day was quite the weird one. When Buck woke up, the ship seemed to have been parked. The next thing that he sorted out was that his knife was missing. This didn't look good at all ..._**

 ** _On deck, everybody was busy with their duty, while Gutt was shipping fruits from the island they set shore on. Tiny mammals were forced against their will to transport 'the bounty'._**

 ** _The knife was nowhere to be found, Shira was gone, nobody shared a glance with the fellow..._**

 ** _Where's my knife_**

 ** _Their was no reaction, he could feel his blood pulp from the anger._**

 **WHERE'S MY KNIFE**

 ** _Everybody took notice, but they all had a look of confusion on their face. He was confused as well, but his rage was not settled._**

 ** _It all happened so fast right after that_**

* * *

 **While Eddie was captivated by the tale, Crash was grasping at the grass, but it didn't look clear if it was a reaction to the story or the hunger.**

* * *

 ** _The second Gupta taunted him with a whistle, Buck charged at him without a question. The badger's arm revealed a shiny object and was begging for a fight._**

 ** _The brawl didn't go for long before Raz decided to put an end to it._**

 ** _Gupta, trying to catch his breath, claimed that he has caught the weasel red-handed trying to brainwash the second in command._**

 ** _Everybody looked at the culprit. He was unable to defend himself ; he was out of breath too, but it was caused from a wound Gupta inflicted on his left elbow. One look at the dagger was all he needed to know. It was definitely not deep, but bothering enough._**

 ** _Gupta's response was simply to wipe off the blood off the artefact with a towel, while his victim fell unconscious from the stab and the exhaustion._**

 ** _Buck opened his eyes with painful effort. It was freezing ; he reckoned he was in the lowest level of the ship. The wound was taken care of, but he was far from reaching full recovery._**

 ** _He could barely see, it all looked so blurry for unknown reasons. Then it hit him : what caused him to wake up so suddenly ?_**

 ** _Buck could taste something really bitter in his mouth. He spat it out as quickly as possible because it's taste felt alien to him._**

 ** _It didn't help whatsoever ; he was feeling dozy._**

 **Quite the spectacular fruit, isn't it ?**

 ** _Gutt crept out of the shadows. While remaining quite calm, he indicated that the edible had the incredible capacity of putting to sleep any eater. The ape reckoned it was the best solution for any deserter ; had they decided that his ship wasn't the ideal home for them._**

 ** _WHERE'S MY KNIFE_**

 ** _The more you would eat of it, the more you'd sleep._**

 **GIVE ME MY KNIFE**

 ** _Then would come the time to send the deserter overboard. Chance is your best friend._**

 **GIVE ...**

* * *

\- That's all I could remember ...

\- THE NERVE !

 **Their was a mild explosion, but it came from Eddie's hands. Crash had a angry fist slam directly in the berry basket. The result was of a serious smear on both the possum brothers. Crash froze in shock and frustration with his fist still in the basket while his eyes were looking straight at Buck, but Eddie was slowly turning angrily towards Crash, calling for his attention. Unaware of what he done, he slowly looked down too.**

\- Oh no ...

 **That wasn't directed at Eddie. He was legitimately sorry for the sweet berries.**

"That floating carpet of a badger alright ..." _his voice tone was dreadful. It pained him to remind himself that he lost the one thing he held on the most in his life. "_ The nerve .."

\- I mean : ALL of them for real !

Wait ...

 **Eddie's attack with the empty basket was interrupted by Crash's alarming hand. He still wasn't paying attention to him.**

... You met Diego's girl ?

"DID he ?" _sneered Eddie to Crash ironically_

B - Did I ?

C - Yes !

 **Eddie gave up. Crash was simply impossible to distract.**

 **The bewilderment in Buck's eyes said it all. He exhaled shortly, amazed, laying then his hands on his forehead.**

\- What a small world ... You realize how close we actually are ?

C - I mean ... The island is pretty big no ?

 **Buck didn't say a word. He looked pretty hunched with a small knife in his left hand. The expression was lost. Eddie tried to pick back up the conversation.**

\- It's weird though that you didn't see her at all the day you were sacked ...

 **Pain came back into Buck's elbow all of a sudden. Grunting silently, he then resumed.**

\- True ... But she's strange you know ? I remember that one night where I thought that she'd never join me again after what I said before. But she came back ...

 **The possums were once again entranced**

\- What did she want ?

\- She wanted more ... more about my story. There was this innocence and fascination in her that I'd never forget. That saber reminded me of my younger years ...

\- Rudy is still here ?

 **The tall rodent was taken by surprise by that inquiry** **. He had one look at his carved wood miniature of a baryonyx in his other hand and the truth made him well up. Buck was really trying to hold back the shakes. Eddie slowly regretted asking.**

\- Rudy is gone Eddie ...

 **Crash & Eddie were speechless. Despite the tale they heard, they still had some shades of hope for his survival. **

**Buck was looking down, desperately picking himself back together. Eying back up to the twins, he was making the strongest smile he could create all of a sudden.**

\- We're settled then for the knife quest tomorrow ?

\- Since when ?

 **Crash definitely felt Eddie's elbow on his chest.**

\- Big day tomorrow then mammals. Off we snooze !

 **They looked at each other, then back at Buck. Slowly each of the possums nodded, puzzled, then prepared to go to sleep.**

 **That was a harder night talk then planned, but Buck was ready to hit the bed.**

 **He could hear some bickering between the two brothers, before hearing a** ** _Goodnight from_ Crash.** **Buck nodded in response, then strolled a bit before meeting a hole he dug. Looking down at the hole, and back up at his miniature in the palm of his hands, he squeezed the statue deep in his chest and proceeded in the den.**

 **Their were roots dangling above Buck's head, and some leaves as a cushion. The interior was the shape of a circle and lit by a small homemade candle. Mush could be seen on every side of the den, creating that feeling of confort, that feeling of home.**

 **Placing Rudy on a mud shelf, he then folded himself, drawing his knees to his fragile chest, and petted carefully his elbow to ease the returning pain. The eyes were slowly starting to close, but Rudy was still in his sight. The stare remained on the statue for a while, before Buck finally decided to say goodbye to today.**


End file.
